As flood scenario worsens in Punjab, former External Affairs Minister and Member of Parliament, Preneet Kaur, on Tuesday opted the age-old custom after a spot of 29 years by presenting ‘nath’ (nostril pin) and ‘chura’ (bridal bangles) to Patiala’s raging Badi Nadi (river) alongside together with her daughter Jai Inder Kaur, praying the river to ‘settle down’ and spare lives.
Wife of BJP chief Amarinder Singh, Preneet Kaur is popularly referred to as Maharani Sahiba due to her royal antecedents. The mother-daughter duo first provided obeisance at Burj Baba Ala Singh-ji at Patiala’s historic Qila Mubarak, the place ‘ardaas’ and ‘puja’ have been held for the protection and prosperity of Patiala and Punjab, after which they preceded to supply the ‘nath ‘ and ‘Chuda’ at Badi Nadi bridge close to Sabji Mandi.
The river has crossed the hazard mark and its flooded water has entered numerous localities and close by villages the place the Indian Army has been deployed to rescue the folks.
Later speaking to the media, Preneet Kaur stated: “Due to incessant rains during the last few days there is an impending flood-like situation in Patiala and many other places in Punjab. This (presenting of ‘nath’ and ‘chura’) has been an age-old tradition of Patiala and had been done during 1994 floods also.”
“First we held ‘puja’ and ‘ardaas’ at the historic Burj Baba Ala Singh-ji and then here me and my daughter Jai Inder Kaur presented the traditional items to the raging Badi Nadi of Patiala. I pray that may God bless us all and we overcome this massive problem we are currently facing, ” stated a soft-spoken Preneet Kaur, who is thought to be an easy accessibility to the general public, greater than her husband.
The Patiala MP appreciated the efforts of the administration by saying: “Our Patiala district administration and the Indian Army are doing commendable efforts to make sure security and safety of everybody and are rescuing the folks in want.
“I urge the people of Patiala not to panic and support the district administration in their efforts to safeguard everyone. If needed, people can migrate temporarily to the special shelters setup by the administration.”
Answering a question relating to Amarinder Singh, she stated: “Maharaja Capt Amarinder Singh was supposed to come today but he couldn’t travel due to bad weather and he requested me and Jai Inder to fulfill this family tradition.”
On a question about Opposition’s feedback, she replied: “Today is not a day to do politics and we didn’t come here as politicians, we are here as citizens of Patiala and I urge you all also not to pay any heed to these unnecessary politically motivated comments. This was a major demand (presenting of ‘nath’ and ‘chura’) coming from the people of Patiala for the last two days and we are here to fulfill that.”